IRCC announces work permits for Yukon nominee candidates. It allows foreign nationals in Yukon to work legally.

Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced a new temporary measure on Wednesday, October 1st, under which up to 215 individuals will be offered work visas under the Yukon Nominee Program (YNP). While their petitions for permanent residence under the YNP are being handled, qualified foreign nationals can continue working lawfully in Yukon with these licenses.

Eligibility Criteria for Yukon Nominee Program (YNP) Work Permits

  • Employment with a Yukon Employer: They must currently be employed by a legitimate business based in Yukon, holding valid legal work status in Canada.
  • Application to the Yukon Nominee Program (YNP): They are required to have submitted an application to the Yukon Nominee Program (YNP), which is the province’s pathway for skilled workers and foreign nationals aiming to obtain permanent residency in Canada.
  • Support from the Yukon Government: Their application for the work permit must be backed by the Government of Yukon. This support is often a part of the nomination process through the YNP, ensuring that their employment and status align with the territory’s economic and labor market needs.
  • Permanent Residency Prospects: They need to demonstrate a reasonable expectation of qualifying for permanent residency by the years 2025 or 2026. As well as, this requirement ensures that the foreign national is on a pathway to becoming a permanent resident of Canada within a specific timeframe, reflecting long-term integration goals.
  • Compliance with All Other Program Criteria: In addition to these key factors, they must meet any other eligibility requirements specific to the work permit or YNP program. These may include educational qualifications, language proficiency, or other factors set by the Yukon immigration program.

As part of IRCC’s larger program initiative 

This short-term action for Yukon is a component of a larger program. In September, IRCC announced a temporary policy to give open work permits to certain Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) candidates.

Moreover, this policy supports the objectives of the IRCC to help provinces meet their labor market needs and to make it easier for more temporary residents to become permanent residents.

Moreover, as part of its plan to reduce the percentage of temporary residents in Canada’s total population from 6.5% to 5% by 2027, the IRCC intends to convert a larger number of temporary residents into permanent residents.

The IRCC had already implemented comparable restrictions for the Provincial Nominee Programs in Alberta and Manitoba before to enacting this policy for Yukon.

Reducing temporary resident programs 

Miller made a number of announcements on September 18th of this year with the goal of cutting back on temporary residency programs. He said that the IRCC expects these changes to result in the following over the next three years:

  • 300,000 fewer carriers of study visas
  • 150,000 fewer spouse work permits
  • 175,000 fewer post-graduation work permits (PGWPs)

Future Levels Plan

The annual Levels Plan, which includes provisional targets for the next two years and immigration targets for the current year, is expected to be published by IRCC on November 1.

  • There will be big changes soon, according to the government.
  • The Levels Plan for this year will be the first to include targets for levels of temporary residents.